1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing and packaging cigarettes, etc. The apparatus comprises a cigarette production unit with a magazine connected thereto, a device for forming groups of cigarettes, a unit for wrapping the groups of cigarettes in a first inner blank (tin foil blank), a unit for wrapping the tin foil block in a paper blank, a hard box, etc., and a unit for wrapping the packs in an outer viscose foil blank.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A production and packaging line of this nature consists of a plurality of in part very complicated machines. In practice, disturbances which can critically disrupt the entire flow of production are particularly likely to occur after the groups of cigarettes have been wrapped in a first tin foil layer, that is, in the succeeding section of the production line.
To reduce the effect of such production line disruptions caused by breakdowns in individual units, it is general practice to connect a cigarette storage device in series with the cigarette magazine in the production line. This storage device receives a variable number of cigarettes from the production unit and supplies these as necessary to the magazine. When breakdowns occur in the production unit the quantity of cigarettes in the storage device is reduced and when breakdowns occur in the units connected after the storage device the quantity of cigarettes in the storage device is increased.
The most commonly used storage devices are so-called inclined storage devices which receive a number of cigarettes. These are in the form of individual containers which are placed on an empty magazine to discharge the cigarettes. Large storage devices are also known which enable a plurality of cigarettes to be continuously received and discharged. In the case of these known storage devices, particularly the large storage devices, there is a risk of damaging the cigarettes. In the first place, the cigarettes are subjected to relatively powerful mechanical stresses. In addition, the cigarettes are frequently soiled a great deal in the storage device. Another substantial disadvantage consists in that only a portion of the cigarettes can be continuously removed from the large storage device. As a result, a greater or lesser quantity of cigarettes is always left over in the large storage device and the quality of these cigarettes no longer meets the required standards. An especially serious disadvantage is that the cigarettes, which are stored in the open state in the large storage device, tend to dry out.